Monday, May 20, 2013

The Future of Tango at OSU

For those who're behind on the plot - My wife Dedra Demaree and I started a Tango club at Oregon State University last year and, except for my trip back to South Africa, have been teaching there more or less ever since.

tango teachers
We've always been partial to helping beginners find their feet, and so the "nothing fancy, just good fundamentals" motto is what permeated our tenure here - but as things have worked out in 2013 - due to work and life circumstances we will moving to Washington DC at the end of June.

OSU Tango will keep going

Because we're going away (for now) that doesn't mean OSU is soon to dance its last tanda!

In fact, there are already 3 veterans from the community who have made commitments to carry on instruction at the class - Rafeal Miranda who more or less runs the Tango scene in Newport, Frank Davis who's well known all round and a regular at the Portland Tango (both of whom have taught at the club before), and Peter Gysegym who's had his own classes and milongas going in Corvallis for years - with one or two other experienced gentlemen waiting in the wings who want to help build Tango in Corvallis.


tango-student
There is also an OSU faculty member ready to take the reigns on the club admin. So classes should continue without issue after we've left.
 
We hope that it'll remain free of charge - open to anyone with a good attitude that wants to get a start in Argentine Tango.

 
We largely started the club to help nurture the local community and expose OSU's ample ballroom, swing and blues fraternities to this art; which we're happy to have been successful at.

Our main concern at the moment is getting a few new students willing to stand up as committee members for the club at the turn of the new academic year. We trust that a few of you will raise your hands and help keep the doors open when the time comes. Please contact me directly should you feel motivated to contribute and...
 
Work together to help the club grow.

For now, classes will run as usual, every monday evening from 7 - 9pm, and will have one last milonga at our house some time in June.